Have you noticed how many people (individuals as well as groups,
such as businesses) who started out as idealists are selling out and
watering down their message? This isn’t anything new; I’ve just become
more aware of this lately.

For example, the company that manufactured a vegan liquid soap, which
we’ve been buying by the case for many years, was sold. The new company
has changed the packaging, including the label that no longer mentions
that it is free of animal ingredients and testing. Yet when asked on the
telephone, they will say that the soap doesn’t contain animal-derived
products. The result? We’ve lost confidence in this company and are not
very happy about their approach.

Another example is a cosmetics company that started to use animal
ingredients in some of their makeup.

Food co-operatives are yet another example of businesses “going
downhill” as far as the watering down of ideals is concerned.
Increasingly, their monthly catalogues are full of animal products and
promotional ads for them.

These are just a few examples and a reason why we think it’s a good
idea to check labels and do a little research, even if we’ve been
purchasing certain items for years. We’re finding out that we can’t take
it for granted that the products haven’t been changed in a negative way
by “selling out.”

"Joyful Curmudgeon"
An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful. At the
same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the
world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true
peace and compassion.